Needle-based apparatus for individualizing fibers and other textile entities for testing purposes

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are various needle-based devices for individualizing single fibers and other entities from a fibrous mass, particularly for testing purposes. In one embodiment, an accelerated pin drafting machine has a plurality of combing elements which sequentially pierce a fiber mat and move within a drafting zone with increasing distance between adjacent combing elements. The accelerated pin drafting machine in turn feeds a fiber individualizer. In another embodiment, a comb-like needle sampler is provided which moves past a perforated plate such that portions of fibrous material protruding through the perforations are loaded onto the needle sampler. An elastomer clamping feedroll moves against the needles to clamp the sample, and then rotates to gradually feed fibers from the sampler. As an alternative to the elastomer clamping feedroll, a clamping block presses against the needles, and the needles are slowly retracted to gradually release fibers. In a third embodiment, fibers protruding through a perforated plate are loaded onto a single needle, and the ends of the fibers are drawn into an airstream moving through a passage defined by a housing on either side of a fiber plate. The fiber plate subsequently engages the needle to clamp fibers in position and the housing retracts to expose the fiber plate for fiber preparation. Thereafter, a roll or apron feeds individual fibers from the fiber plate.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the testing of fiber samplesand, more particularly, to needle-based apparatus for individualizingsingle fibers and other entities in textile fiber samples for testingpurposes with a minimum of damage to the fibers, such as breakage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Testing of fiber samples, such as, but not limited to, cotton, isimportant for determining the market value of a particular batch ofmaterial, as well as for determining a suitable usage and whatprocessing may be required in gins or spinning mills. Today, nearly 100%of the cotton grown in the United States is classed employing testinginstruments. Testing includes determining such characteristics as fiberlength, as well as the content of undesired textile entities such astrash and neps.

As a relatively early example, a comb-like device for preparing a sampleof ginned cotton for measuring the fiber length thereof is disclosed inHertel U.S. Pat. No. 2,404,708, which issued in 1946. That same inventorlater developed what is now known as a Hertel needle sampler, disclosedin Hertel U.S. Pat. No. 3,057,019. The Hertel needle sampler is acomb-like device arranged for movement past a perforated plate which hasa fibrous mass pushed against the opposite side so that portions of thefibrous mass protrude through the perforations and are loaded onto theneedles. A screw-thread based locking device then retains the fibers onthe needle sampler, forming what is known in the art as a tapered beardbecause the fibers are of varying lengths. The tapered beard is preparedby combing and brushing to parallelize the fibers, as well as to removeloose fibers. An automated version of the Hertel needle sampler iscontained within and is a major element of fiber testing apparatus,known as the Model 900A High Volume Instrument (HVI). This apparatus hasbeen manufactured by Spinlab, Inc., and is now manufactured by ZellwegerUster, Inc. in Knoxville, Tenn.

The tapered beard is then subjected to analysis. For example, aninstrument known as a Fibrograph, formerly manufactured by Spinlab,Inc., and now by Zellweger Uster, Inc. in Knoxville, Tenn., is employedto optically determine various characteristics of the tapered beard,including the profile along its length. In addition, a separate test maybe made of the strength of the tapered beard.

In some respects, the sample as taken by a Hertel needle sampler and themeasurement of length and strength therefrom, are worldwide standards.

The approach just described involves collectively testing, essentiallysimultaneously, all of the fibers of a sample, assumed to be arepresentative sample. An alternative approach is to individualize andtest single fibers and other textile entities, for example neps andtrash. Testing single fiber entities can provide a better analysis.Thus, measuring directly, and at high speed, physical properties ofsingle entities in a fiber sample results in basic measurements whichprovide more and better information which is needed in modern textilemanufacturing. The measurements are more basic because single entities(single fibers, single neps, single trash particles, single microdustparticles, etc.) are directly measured rather than indirectly bymeasuring bulk or bundle properties. Equally importantly, they are morebasic because statistical distributions are easily formed with the aidof modern electronics technology.

However, such an approach requires means for individualizing singleentities and feeding them one at a time into suitable analysis means fortesting. A device for such isolation is generally termed a "fiberindividualizer", and is generally so termed herein, although a moreprecise term is "entity individualizer" since, for purposes of testing,it is necessary to accurately determine the amount of neps and trash ina particular sample, in addition to characteristics of the fibersthemselves.

An example of such single entity testing apparatus is disclosed inShofner U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,060, which discloses what is termed in thatpatent a microdust and trash machine (MTM), and what has since becomeknown as an advanced fiber information system (AFIS), currentlymanufactured by Zellweger Uster, Inc. in Knoxville, Tenn.

In one form, the AFIS machine separates fibers and neps into oneairstream, and trash into another air stream. Optical-based sensors thenmeasure the individual entities. Individual entities can be analyzed atrates as high as 1000 per second. An AFIS more particularly includes anaeromechanical separator or fiber individualizer; high speed singleentity sensors; and a high information rate computer for data collectionand analysis.

Improvements to the AFIS, particularly improved sensors where a singlesensor analyzes neps, trash and fibers individualized all in one airstream are disclosed in Shofner et al application Ser. No. 07/493,961,filed Mar. 14, 1990, entitled "Electro-Optical Methods and Apparatus forHigh Speed, Multivariant Measurement of Individual Entities in Fiber orOther Samples", and in Shofner et al continuation-in-part applicationsSer. No. 07/762,905, filed Sept. 19, 1991, entitled "Apparatus forMonitoring Trash in a Fiber Sample", and Ser. No. 07/962,898, filed Oct.16, 1992, entitled "Apparatus and Method for Testing MultipleCharacteristics of Single Textile Sample with Automatic Feed."

Individualized fibers may be however tested in a number of other ways,and the fiber individualizers of the present invention are not limitedto any particular testing technique. For example, individualized fibersmay simply be spread out on a horizontal surface which comprises acontrasting background, and optically imaged.

The fiber individualizer portion of an AFIS, such as is disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 4,512,060, includes a cylindrical rotating beater wheelhaving projections which engage fibers of fibrous material fed to thebeater wheel for testing. The beater wheels rotates at typically 7,500rpm, with a circumferential velocity of 5,000 FPM, and is similar to thelicker-in of a conventional carding machine, or the beater stage of anopen-end spinning head, with the exception that the AFIS beater wheelincludes perforations which allow radially inward airflow.

One disadvantage of the fiber individualizer disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.4,512,060 is that fibers are subject to breakage as they are fed from afibrous mass and abruptly engaged by the pins of the rotating beaterwheel. In particular, fiber damage is caused by the interaction of fiberheld between a feed plate/feed roll arrangement and the pinned cylinderrotating at high speed. The resultant action does liberate single fibersfrom the sample fiber mass but it also causes fiber breakage, and breaksup some foreign matter in the fiber (i.e. cotton trash). This action ofrestraining a portion of the fiber while quickly accelerating anotherportion of the fiber is well represented in mill processes (especiallyin opening, cleaning and carding), and leads to similar problems.Further damage results as fibers, in relatively random orientations, arecarried past card flats.

The damage is, in general, more pronounced in a sample containingrandomly oriented, highly entangled fibers (bale stock or card mat) thanit is in a sample containing disentangled, parallel oriented fibers(sliver). Thus, it has been observed that, when parallelized fibers,such as sliver, are fed to the rotating beater wheel of an AFIS, farless fiber breakage occurs. However, bulk fiber for testing is generallynot available in parallelized form.

Another disadvantage of the AFIS Fiber Individualizer is that itrequires an elongated, sliver-like sample. For testing fibrous masses,wherein the fibers are randomly oriented, this elongated sample must becurrently hand-formed. It follows that alternative means for collectingrepresentative samples and introducing them into AFIS is needed. Thisneed is rapidly increasing now, as automation requirements increase.

Several processes are known for parallelizing fibers, and an importantone of such process is known as drafting or drawing, which particularlyis employed in production environments, not in testing environments andnot for randomly oriented fibrous masses.

Other forms of drafting are known, such as apron drafting or Casablancadrafting wherein a web of fibers, already parallelized and partiallydrafted, is transported between a pair of belt-like moving aprons andthen through a pair of rollers turning at a higher speed. In somesituations, such as is disclosed in U.K. Pat. No. 1,242,171, fibers arereleased from the roller pair essentially one at a time into anairstream.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide improvedmethods for individualizing fibers and other entities, such as trash andneps, from a sample of bulk fiber material, for testing purposes.

It is another object of the invention to provide a means forparallelizing fibers for feeding into an existing AFIS machine tominimize fiber breakage within the fiber individualizer portion of theAFIS.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved method andapparatus which, at least, receives a mass of entangled, disorientedfibers and produces, at an output, a flow of substantially disentangled,parallel oriented and undamaged fibers, particularly for delivering toan AFIS.

Very briefly, the invention provides a number of approaches employingvarious needle and pin devices for individualizing single fibers andother entities, specifically for testing purposes.

More particularly, in accordance with a first embodiment of theinvention, needle-based apparatus for isolating single fibers includes apin drafting type machine having an input and an output, and a pluralityof combing elements arranged to pierce a fiber mat presented to theinput and to move in a direction from input to output with increasingdistance between adjacent combing elements so as to transport and draftthe fiber mat. The pin drafting machine may be termed an accelerated pindrafting (APD) machine because, in continuous operation, the combingelements move with acceleration within a drafting zone of the pindrafting machine.

The apparatus additionally includes a fiber individualizer arranged toreceive the fiber mat from the pin drafting machine and to individualizethe fibers.

The fiber individualizer may comprise further drafting apparatus, suchas a feeder for engaging the fiber mat and for subsequently releasingfibers substantially individually into an air stream, such as a pair ofrollers. Alternatively, the fiber individualizer may comprise thecylindrical rotating beater wheel of an AFIS machine, as is describedabove.

In accordance with a second embodiment of the invention, needle-basedapparatus for isolating fibers and other entities from a loose mass isbased on the Hertel needle sampler referred to hereinabove, but includesmeans for feeding fibers and other entities from the needle sampler forindividual analysis, in contrast to analyzing a tapered beard.

In particular, such apparatus includes a sample holder with a platehaving perforations and a sample side against which a loose mass offibrous material is pressed such that portions of the fibrous materialproject through the perforations, and a comb-like needle sampler havinga plurality of needle elements in a row and arranged for generallyparallel movement relative to the plate on the other side of the plateso as to load fibers from the projecting portions onto the needlesampler. The apparatus additionally includes an element arranged toselectively engage the needle elements along at least a portion of theirlengths for clamping loaded fibers on the needle sampler and forpermitting subsequent gradual release of fibers from the needle sampler.In one form, this element takes the form of an elastomer clampingfeedroll which moves against the needle elements for clamping loadedfibers, and subsequently rotates to gradually feed fibers from theneedle elements. Alternatively, a clamping block may be provided whichmoves relative to a needle element against the needle elements forclamping loaded fibers, and the needle elements subsequently retract togradually release fibers.

In one embodiment based on the Hertel needle sampler, the apparatusincludes a cylindrical rotating beater wheel, such as the input stage ofan AFIS, having projections for engaging fibers as they are releasedfrom the needle sampler.

In a variation of the second embodiment, the apparatus includes a drumin the form of an at least partially hollow cylinder rotatable about itsaxis, the drum including a sample holder portion including acircumferential cylindrical wall segment having perforations, and aninterior side against which a loose mass of fibrous material is pressedsuch that portions of the fibrous material projects radially outwardlythrough the perforations, and a card doffer wire portion of the bucketincluding a circumferential segment having doffer wire on a surface ofthe circumferential segment projecting radially outwardly. The apparatusadditionally includes a comb-like needle sampler having a plurality ofneedle elements positioned adjacent the bucket such that fibers from theprojecting portions are loaded onto the needle sampler as thecylindrical wall segment of the sample holder portion rotates in a firstdirection past the needle sampler. The apparatus also has an elementarranged to selectively engage the needle elements along at least aportion of their lengths for locking loaded fibers on the needle samplerand for permitting subsequent gradual release of fibers from the needlesampler onto the card doffer wire as the circumferential segment of thecard doffer wire portion rotates in the first direction past the needlesampler.

Means are provided for removing fibers from the card doffer wire, suchas a cylindrical rotating beater wheel, which may be the input elementof an AFIS, or a brush, positioned adjacent the drum and havingprojections for engaging and removing fibers from the card doffer wireas the card doffer wire portion rotates in a second direction past thecylindrical rotating beater wheel.

In accordance with a third embodiment of the invention, needle basedapparatus for isolating single fibers from a loose mass includes asample holder which has a plate having perforations and a sample sideagainst which a loose mass of fibrous material is pressed such thatportions of the fibrous material project through the perforations, and asingle-needle sampler assembly. The single-needle sampler assemblyincludes a needle arranged for generally parallel movement relative tothe perforated plate so as to load fibers from the projecting portionsonto the needle, a guide element to control the amount of fiberscollected, and a fiber plate movable relative to the needle between aclamping position and a sampling position. The fiber plate has a leadingedge configured for engagement with the needle so as to clamp fibersbetween the needle and the fiber plate leading edge in the fiber plateclamping position. In the fiber plate sampling position, the leadingedge is spaced from the needle to permit the controlled loading offibers onto the needle. Preferably, the spacing between the leading edgeand the needle in the fiber plate sampling position is sufficientlyclose so as to minimize bunching of fibers loaded onto the needle.

The single-needle sampler assembly additionally includes a retractablefiber plate housing movable between a retracted position which exposes aworking portion of the fiber plate and a sampling position whichsubstantially encloses the fiber plate with the exception of aprojecting portion immediately adjacent the leading edge. The fiberplate housing, in its sampling position, defines an air flow passage oneither side of the fiber plate such that the ends of fibers loaded ontothe needle are drawn into the air flow passage generally along side thefiber plate, with an intermediate portion of each fiber engaging thefiber plate leading edge.

The single-needle sampler apparatus additionally includes a beardpreparation station including at least one element for combing outfibers on the fiber plate working portion while the fiber plate is inits clamping position and the fiber plate housing is in its retractedposition.

Finally, there is a feeder for feeding fibers off the fiber plateworking portion substantially individually into an air stream. Thefeeder may comprise alternatively an apron or a roll.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the novel features of the invention are set forth withparticularity in the appended claims, the invention, both as toorganization and content, will be better understood and appreciated,along with other objects and features thereof, from the followingdetailed description, taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 depicts in overview a fiber individualizer in accordance with thefirst embodiment of the invention employing accelerated pin drafting;

FIG. 2 is an enlargement of a portion of the FIG. 1 apparatus depictingloading of fibers into the accelerated pin drafting apparatus;

FIG. 3 is an enlargement of a portion of the FIG. 1 apparatus depictingstripping and ultradrafting;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a single combing element;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged end view of the FIG. 4 combing element;

FIG. 6 graphically depicts the movement of individual combing elements;

FIG. 7 depicts individualized fiber entities being supplied to a sensor;

FIG. 8 depicts the apparatus of FIG. 1 employed as a preprocessor for anAFIS machine;

FIG. 9 depicts the loading of a needle sampler in accordance with asecond embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a front view of the needle sampler of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11A is an enlarged front view of a needle holder;

FIG. 11B is an enlarged side view of the needle holder;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of the elastomer clamping feedroll of FIG.9;

FIG. 13 depicts an alternative to the FIG. 3 elastomer clamping feedrollin the form of a retracting pin;

FIG. 14 depicts the needle sampler of FIG. 9 feeding an AFIS machine;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged view depicting the feeding of material into anAFIS;

FIGS. 16 and 17 are alternative forms of the needle sampler based on amodified "bucket" sampler;

FIG. 18 depicts the loading operation of a single-needle sampler inaccordance with a third embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 19 is a front view of the single-needle sampler assembly of FIG.17;

FIGS. 20A, 20B and 20C are enlarged top, end and side views of thesingle-needle sampler of FIG. 18;

FIG. 21 depicts a plurality of individual fiber samples clamped betweenthe needle and a fiber plate and being drawn into the housing;

FIG. 22 depicts the housing retracted from the fiber plate, presentingfibers for preparation;

FIGS. 23A and 23B depict combing and brushing operations;

FIG. 24 depicts a roll feeder for feeding individual fibers off of thefiber plate into an air stream; and

FIG. 25 similarly depicts an apron feeder for feeding individual fibersoff of the fiber plate into an air stream.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1-8 depict needle-based apparatusin accordance with the invention for individualizing single fibers andother textile entities. FIG. 1 is an overview of one form of theapparatus, while FIGS. 2 and 3 are enlarged views of loading andstripping portions of the FIG. 1 apparatus.

The apparatus 30 includes a feed section 32 wherein fiber stock 34 isconveyed between an upper stationary feed plate 36 and a lower belt 38carried by a pair of rolls 40 and 42. Feed section 32 may employ TestZone Environmental Control (TZEC), as disclosed in Shofner U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 07/999,226, filed Dec. 31, 1992, entitled "DirectControl of Fiber Testing or Processing Performance Parameters byApplication of Controlled, Conditioned Gas Flows", the entire disclosureof which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference. In the case ofTZEC, the test sample is conditioned prior to and during testing byapplication of condition gas flows. The fiber stock 34 is transportedinto a pin drafting machine, generally designated 44, including aloading section 46, a drafting zone 48, and a stripping zone 50.

Central to the pin drafting machine 44 are a plurality of combingelements 52 which are arranged to pierce the fiber mat 34 as it ispresented at the input, and to move from input to output (left to rightin FIGS. 1-3) with increasing distance between adjacent combingelements, as is described hereinbelow with particular reference to FIG.6. FIG. 4 shows in perspective an individual combing element 52, whichcomprises a series of needle-like pins 54 mounted to a pin bar, whileFIG. 5 is an enlarged end view of the pin bar 56 and a single needle 54.The pin bar 56 is from one to four inches wide. The individual pins 54are approximately 0.013 inch in diameter, and have a length ofapproximately 0.50 inch, measured from the lower end 58 of the pin bar56 to the tip 60 of the needle 54. The pins 54 are spaced uniformly,with a density of 62 pins per inch.

FIG. 1 conceptually illustrates the motion of the individual combelements 52, which is similar to that of a conventional faller bar set,but with varying spacing between adjacent combing elements 52. Forexample, the combing elements 52 are carried counterclockwise around anoval track, with the lower row 64 of pins 52 in FIG. 1 generallycorresponding to the combing elements 52 engages the fiber, and with theupper row 66 of combing elements 52 simply being returned to thestarting point, having been lifted away from engagement with fiber beingprocessed.

The spacing between the combing elements 52, as they pass through thedrafting zone 48 of FIG. 1, is graphically and numerically described inFIG. 6. In FIG. 6 individual combing elements are arbitrarily designated0 through 18. Below each combing element 52 is a first number (s) givingthe distance, in inches, from combing element 0 employed as a referencepoint, and below that a number (t) giving the time in seconds for theparticular combing element to have reached the position indicated.Preferably, the process is a continuous one, and the combing elements 52are accordingly continuously accelerating as they move from left toright. A third row of numbers (v) below the combing elements in FIG. 6is the instantaneous velocity of each pin at the position indicated. Inthis example there is a constant acceleration a=0.0495 in/sec².

A variety of known mechanisms may be adapted to produce the particularcombing element movement depicted in FIGS. 1-3, and particularly in FIG.6. In general, such mechanisms are known for the purpose of bi-axiallystretching plastic film. One such mechanism, involving a series ofindividual links with rollers constrained to move between tracks ofvarying spacing, is disclosed in Sakakibara et al U.S. Pat. No.3,153,812. Another approach, involving a drive screw having a groovewith a pitch that increases along the length of the drive screw, isdisclosed in Kamfe et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,200,963. Other examples aredisclosed in Nagae et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,276,071; Tsien U.S. Pat. No.3,427,684; Kampf Pat. U.S. No. 3,916,491 and Allen U.S. Pat. No.4,384,392.

Referring again to FIGS. 1-3 in greater detail, FIG. 2 in particulardepicts the loading section 46, which includes a cylindrical rotatingwheel 70 having projections 72 which serve to push fiber stock 34 ontothe pins 54 of the combing elements 52 as the stock 34 emerges from theguide plate 36 and belt 38. In the loading zone 46, in order to avoidbinding or interference with the projections 72 of the wheel 70, thecombing elements 52 move at a constant velocity with uniform spacing.The projections 72 may be thin plates or bars.

The fiber material then enters the drafting zone 48 of FIG. 1 which isbounded by a solid lower plate 74 or a perforated belt 80 under thedrafting zone 48, such that all textile entities associated with thefiber mat, for example, fibers, neps and trash, remain with the sampleto be subsequently measured. Although in FIG. 1 the lower plate 74 anddirection of movement are drawn as horizontal, it will be appreciatedthat this is for convenience of illustration only, and that, in anactual machine, the apparatus and support plate 74 are all inclined sothat gravity 75 assists the movement from left to right in the FIG. 1orientation, and there is no accumulation of material on the lower plate74. The lower plate 74 also blocks air currents.

In operation, each combing element 52 acts to restrain the fiberrelative to those preceding (to the right) and to comb and draft thefibers relative to the following combing element 52 (to the left).Assuming for purposes of example that the spacing between adjacentcombing elements 52 is 0.1 inches at the beginning of the drafting zone48, and is 1.0 inches at the end of the drafting zone 48, the draftratio would be ten to one. The resultant drafting and paralleling offibers is very gentle, and results in minimal fiber breakage.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, as the fiber mat leaves the drafting zone 48and enters the stripping zone 50, the combing elements 52 are againuniformly spaced and have constant velocity. In the stripping zone 50,stripper bars 76 move down alongside the individual pins 54 so as todisengage fibers and other entities from the pins 54 of the combingelements 52. A perforated belt 80 is carried by a roller 82 and an idlerbar 84 below the stripping zone 50. To aid in stripping the fiber, amanifold 86 is provided which draws air through the perforations in thebelt 80. The perforations in the belt 80 are relatively small, in theorder of 50 μm, such that fibers, trash and neps are generally not drawnthrough the perforations. (At this point there is also the opportunityto measure microdust in the air from manifold 86, generally according toShofner U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,060.)

In an exit zone 90, an upper apron 92 is positioned above the perforatedbelt 80 in order to gently restrain and convey the fibers between theapron 92 and belt 80. The apron 92 is driven by a drive roll 94 asindicated.

To further aid in cleaning the combing elements 52, as indicated at 52a,the combing elements, as they are retracted (beginning their return pathas depicted in FIG. 1), they are moved closely adjacent the drive roll94 for cleaning action.

Finally, the apron 92 and belt 80 deliver the fibers at 96 to a pair offeed rolls 98 for ultradrafting. The feedrolls 98 pull fibers and otherentities from the apron, and release them, substantially one at a time,into an air stream 100. At this point, the fibers and other entities aresubstantially individualized, and may be introduced into a suitablesensor, such as is disclosed in the above-identified Shofner et alapplication Ser. No. 07/962,898, filed Oct. 16, 1992, and illustrated inFIG. 7.

Although there may be employed several sets of aprons and rolls inseries, the apron 90 and pinch rollers 98 comprise what may be termed anultradrafting system, with a drafting ratio of perhaps 300. With vacuumsuction employed at the exit of the pinch rollers, the net result isthat single fibers and single neps or trash are released and carried outto a suitable sensor 99, starting with a mass of entangled fibersintroduced at 34.

For cleaning any remaining fiber from the belt 80 there are shown inFIG. 3 a cleaning station located on its lower return path comprising arotating brush 102 and a manifold 104 for blowing air through theperforations in the belt 80.

FIG. 8 depicts the accelerated pin drafting apparatus of FIG. 1 employedas preprocessor to an AFIS fiber individualizer, generally designated110. It will be appreciated that the AFIS device 110 in FIG. 8 is known,being of the type disclosed in the above-identified Shofner U.S. Pat.No. 4,512,060. Very briefly, incoming fiber is engaged by protrusions ona perforated cylinder 112 rotating clockwise at approximately 7500 rpm,next engages card flats 114 and 116, and is then transferred to a solidcylinder 118. Various entities are aeromechanically released, separated,and thrown out and thus separated through counterflow slots 120 and 122,all as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,060. The utility of feeding theAFIS Fiber Individualizer with the accelerating pin drafter 30 is thatfiber breakage is greatly reduced.

Referring now to FIGS. 9-17, depicted is another embodiment ofneedle-based apparatus in accordance with the invention. The apparatusof FIGS. 9-17 is based on a Hertel needle sampler, such as is disclosedin the above-identified U.S. Pat. No. 3,057,019.

An important aspect of the Hertel sampler is passing a comb-like needlesampler past perforations in a metal plate through which the fibrousmass is pressed such that fibers of varying lengths are loaded onto thepins, and subsequently locked. In the traditional use of the Hertelsampler, the resultant tapered beard is combed, brushed and measured,all as described hereinabove. In accordance with the present invention,the fibrous material is sampled in the same way, and it has been shownthat this particular sampling technique generally produces arepresentative sample. The present invention differs from thetraditional Hertel sampler in that fibers are individually fed from thesampler for subsequent analysis.

FIG. 9 illustrates a sample holder 150, including a plate 152 havingperforations 154, and a sample side 156 against which a loose mass 158of fibrous material is pressed by a pressure plate 160. Portions 162 ofthe sample 158 thus project through the perforations 154. Theperforations 154 are in the order of 0.63 inch in diameter, with aspacing of 0.88 inch. As may be seen in FIG. 9, the edges of theperforations 154 are rounded and smooth so as to minimize cutting andbreakage of fibers as fibers are pulled through the perforations 154.

The apparatus additionally includes a comb-like needle sampler 164,shown also in FIG. 10 in front view. The needle sampler 164 includes aplurality of individual pins or needles 165. Traditionally, the needles165 are spaced by 1/13 inch, and are about 0.02 inches in diameter.Their projected length above their mount is approximately 0.2 inches,and the overall width of the sampler in the FIG. 10 orientation is inthe order of three inches. FIGS. 11A and 11B are enlarged views of theneedle holder portion of the needle sampler 164.

The needle sampler 164 is arranged for generally parallel movementrelative to the plate 152 so as to load fibers from the projectingportions 162 onto the individual needles or pins 165, to produce theresults shown in FIG. 10. The protruding fibers are however firstengaged by a guide plate 157 which facilitates control of the amount ofsample collected. FIG. 10 in particular illustrates what is known in theart as a tapered beard 166 which, after combing and brushing describedhereinbelow, comprises a plurality of fibers of varying lengths loadedonto the pins 165 at various intermediate points along the length of theindividual fibers. This is more clearly evident in the embodiment ofFIGS. 21 and 22.

In the traditional Hertel sampler, the tapered beard 166 remains lockedin position for the remainder of the operation.

Instead of the threaded locking and unlocking device of the Hertelsampler, the present invention employs an element, shown in FIG. 9 as anelastomer clamping feedroll 170, which is arranged to move forward orclose and thereby to selectively engage the needle elements along atleast a portion of their lengths for locking loaded fibers on the needlesampler 164. The feedroll 170 is seen in the open or sampling positionin FIG. 9 and in the closed position in FIG. 12. Guide 157 can movetogether with feedroll 170 but this is not essential.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of the elastomer clamping feedroll, while inclosed position to engage the needles 154, to clamp the fibers 166 inplace. As indicated at 172, the elastomer clamping feedroll 170 isdeformed to hold fibers against the needles along a portion of thelength of the needles, rather than at a single pinch point.

As indicated by the respective arrows 174 and 176, the elastomerclamping feedroll 170 is capable of both a translation motion (arrow174) to permit clamping, and a rotation motion (arrow 176) forsubsequent gentle rolling off of the fibers from the needle sampler. Asuitable mounting and drive arrangement (not shown) is provided toaccomplish these two motions.

As an alternative to the row needle sampler 164 with elastomer feedroll170, depicted in FIG. 13 is a retractable pin embodiment 171. In FIG.13, a row of pins 180 is arranged like the needle sampler 164 (FIG. 10)and may, for example, also be made of stainless steel. A mounting block182 is provided in which the needle elements 180 move downwardly, afterloading, for feeding into further processing stages. The downward (andupward) movement is enabled by drive means 186. After loading but priorto moving to further processing steps, the fibers 166 are clampedagainst the needle elements 180 by internal elastomer bar 187. Clampingbar 187 is driven by actuator rod 189 and in machined guide-ways 191.

For subsequently slowly feeding individual fibers one at a time from theneedles 180, after loading and clamping, the needles 180 may beretracted through movement of the needle holder 186 and needle 180 in adownward direction, as viewed in the FIG. 13 orientation, whereby fibersare individually released.

The arrangement of FIG. 13 thus provides for two different types ofmovement, one for clamping, and one for feeding.

FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate the needle sampler of FIGS. 9-12, includingthe elastomer clamping feedroll 170, employed to feed fibers into anAFIS, substantially identical to the AFIS 110 of FIG. 8, for furtherindividualization and testing.

FIG. 15 will be recognized as another form of the AFIS FiberIndividualizer. In this case the individualized coarse 195 and fine 196trash separations are recombined with the individualized fibers, neps,etc. The objectives of feeding AFIS Fiber Individualizers 110 and 111with the row needle sampler 164 or 171 are to reduce fiber damage and/orto facilitate automation. Methods and apparatus enabling the latterobjective are disclosed in a copending application Ser. No. 07,999,007,filed Dec. 31, 1992, entitled "Acquisition, Measurement and Control ofThin Webs of In-Process Textile Materials".

FIG. 16 depicts a modification of a Hertel needle sampler, as embodiedin a Model 900A High Volume Instrument (HVI), manufactured by ZellwegerUster, Inc., Knoxville, Tenn. More particularly, the sampling drum 200and operational steps are modified in accordance with the invention toachieve fiber individualization and automation.

The apparatus of FIG. 16 includes a known apparatus 200 in the generalform of a cylindrical drum which is rotatable about its axis, and whichis at least partially hollow for receiving a sample. The drum isapproximately twelve inches in diameter and 5.5 inches in width androtates within a housing 213. The drum 200 includes a sample holderportion 202 including a circumferential cylindrical wall segment 204with perforations 206 against which a loose mass of fibrous material 208to be sampled is pressed from the inside, such that portions of thefibrous material 208 project through the perforations 206. A plate 210pivotally mounted at 212 provides pressure on the sample 208.

The drum 200 additionally includes a card doffer wire portion 215including a circumferential segment having doffer wire 216 projectingradially outwardly.

Also provided is a comb-like needle sampler 220, substantially like theneedle sampler 164 of FIG. 9, positioned adjacent to the drum 200 suchthat fibers projecting through the perforations 206 are loaded onto theneedle sampler 220 as the cylindrical wall segment of the sample holderrotates in a first clockwise direction past the needle sampler.

In the operation of the drum 200 as thus far described, the drum isinitially rotationally oriented with the sample opening 231 adjacentreference mark 230A. That is, points 230A and 230B are in juxtaposition.The cover 233 is hinged at 237 and is opened in the direction of thearrow 235 and a sample 208 is placed within the sample holder. The cover233 is then closed and the drum 200 is rotated in a clockwise directionsuch that the perforations 206 move past the needle sampler, loadingfiber onto the needles, in the same manner as depicted hereinabove withreference to FIG. 9. After loading, the elastomer clamping feedroll 270is then moved against the needles, in the position illustrated, to clampthe sample. At this stage, point 232 on the drum 00200 is positionednear the needle sampler 220 or reference mark 230A.

The remaining operation differs substantially from the conventionalHertel sampler as embodied, for example, in the model 900A drum. Inparticular, in the model 900A drum as conventionally employed, as thedrum continues to rotate, the card doffer wire 216 combs the taperedbeard which is locked onto the needle sampler. This combing action hasthe effect of removing loose fibers and trash from the tapered beardsuch that a tapered beard of initially 0.5 gram, for example, is reducedto about 0.1 to 0.2 gram. In the conventional device, the tapered beardis then removed for further Fibrograph testing as described hereinabovein the "Background" section.

In accordance with the present invention, rather than holding thetapered beard for combing, as the bucket 200 continues to rotateclockwise, carrying the doffer wire past the needle sampler, theelastomer clamping feedroll 270 rotates in a clockwise direction asindicated to slowly feed all of the fiber from the needle sampler ontothe doffer wire. Ideally, 100% of the collected fiber sample isdeposited uniformly on the doffer wire 216, and preferably this is aheavier sample, for example, 1.0 gram.

At this point, the sampler 220 is retracted and drum 202 is rotated inthe counterclockwise direction, and fiber on the doffer wire is fed tothe cylindrical rotating beater wheel of an AFIS machine 240, forindividualizing and testing as already described hereinabove.

The needle sampler 164 and 171 can thus advantageously feed textileentity samples to an AFIS system in FIGS. 14 or 15 or can feed the HVI900A drum of FIG. 16 which in turn feeds an AFIS system. It will beappreciated that the needle sampler 220, in combination with the uniformloading into and combing and individualization action by the doffer wire216 can also directly feed an AFIS sensor 99 (FIG. 7) as depicted inFIG. 17. In FIG. 17, a rotary brush 250 individually removes theentities from doffer wire 216. The entities are collected by air flow100, similarly as in FIG. 1, and then transported to AFIS sensor 99 formeasurement, similarly as in FIG. 7. Brush 250 has backward inclinedbristles 252 which are about 0.75 inches long and made preferably ofnylon. Brush 250 diameter is about 6 inches and rotational speed isabout 3000 RPM. Brush 251 moves within housing 254.

The 900A drum 200 and brush 250 are sealed except at 260, where theairflow 262 enters in response to the AFIS sensor airflow 100.

FIGS. 18-25 illustrate a third embodiment of the invention involving asingle-needle sampler. It should be mentioned that, although multiplesingle-needle samplers may be simultaneously employed, unlike thecomb-like structure of the Hertel needle sampler as describedhereinabove, the needles are sufficiently far apart such that there isno interaction between the individual needles, and hence less fiberentanglement.

Referring to FIG. 18 in detail, as in the previous embodiment there is asample holder 300 including a plate 302 having perforations 304, and asample side 306 against which a loose mass 308 of fibrous material ispressed by means of a pressure plate 310 such that portions 312 of thefibrous material 308 project through the perforations 304.

A single needle sampler, generally designated 316, includes a needle 318arranged for generally parallel movement relative to the plate 302 so asto load fibers from the projecting portions 312 onto the needle 318 asshown in FIG. 18.

The needle sampler assembly 316 additionally includes a fiber plate 320movable relative to the needle between a clamping position (FIGS. 21 and22) and a sampling position (FIG. 18). The fiber plate 320 has a leadingedge 322 configured for engagement with the needle 318 so as to clampfibers between the needle 318 and the leading edge 322 in the fiberplate clamping position, and to permit the loading of fibers onto theneedle in the sampling position. Leading edge 322 may be elastomermaterial. In the sampling position illustrated in FIG. 18, a space 324is defined between the leading edge 322 and the needle 318 so as tominimize bunching of fibers as they are loaded onto the needle 318.

The needle sampler assembly additionally includes a retractable fiberplate housing 326, which is hollow, and is movable between a retractedposition (FIG. 22) which exposes a working portion 328 of the fiberplate 320, and a sampling position (FIGS. 18 and 20C) whichsubstantially encloses the fiber plate 320, with the exception of aguide portion 325 immediately above and adjacent the leading edge 322.

In the sampling position of the fiber plate housing 326, air flowpassages 332 (FIG. 20B) are defined on either side of the fiber plate320 such that the ends of fibers loaded onto the needle 318 are drawninto the air flow passages generally alongside the fiber plate 320, asrepresented by fibers 329 in FIG. 18, with an intermediate portion ofeach fiber engaging the fiber plate leading edge 322. "Splitter" airflow 333 is delivered to the front of the needle sampler by conduit 335inside actuator bar 337. This air is discharged from hole 339 and splitsthe two fiber ends so that they enter the proper passage 332.

Thus, during the loading operation depicted in FIG. 18, fibers areloaded onto the needle 318, in a somewhat tangled manner, represented inFIG. 19. As each individual fiber is pulled completely free from one ofthe perforations 304, the ends thereof are drawn into the passages 332alongside the fiber plate 320. Although the fibers 329 are notcompletely untangled, at this point they are relatively straight.

Illustrated in FIGS. 23A and 23B is a beard preparation stationincluding a combing element 336 (FIG. 23A) and a brushing element 338(FIG. 23B). During combing and brushing, the housing is in its retractedposition, exposing the working portion of the fiber plate.

The combing and brushing operations depicted are quite similar to whatis conventionally done when using a Hertel needle sampler in preparationfor fibrograph testing. The purpose is to comb away excess and to removecrimp from the fibers. As clearly evident in FIGS. 23A and 23B, duringthis fiber preparation the needle 318 is clamped against the fiber plate320.

FIG. 24 depicts a roll feeder wherein a roll 350 is employed to rollfiber 382, substantially one at a time, off of the fiber plate into anairstream 100. The needle 318 is unclamped.

FIG. 25 is similar, except that an apron feeder is employed, housing 326is retracted, and the needle 318 is unclamped. In both embodimentsillustrated in FIGS. 24 and 25, the individualized fibers aretransported by airflow 100 to an AFIS sensor 99, as in FIG. 7.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been illustrated anddescribed herein, it is realized that numerous modifications and changeswill occur to those skilled in the art. It is therefore to be understoodthat the appended claims are intended to cover all such modificationsand changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. Needle-based apparatus for sampling entitiesincluded in a mass of fibrous material, said apparatus comprising:a drumin the form of an at least partially hollow cylinder rotatable about anaxis, said drum in turn comprising:a sample holder portion including acircumferential cylindrical wall segment having perforations and aninterior side against which a mass of fibrous material is pressed suchthat portions of the fibrous material project radially outwardly throughsaid perforations, and a combing portion including a circumferentialsegment having card doffer wire on a surface of said circumferentialsegment projecting radially outwardly; a needle sampler having aplurality of needle elements positioned adjacent said drum such thatentities from the projecting portions are loaded onto said needlesampler as said cylindrical wall segment of said sample holder portionrotates in a first direction past said needle sampler; an elementarranged to selectively engage said needle elements along at least aportion of their lengths for clamping loaded entities on said needlesampler and for permitting subsequent gradual release of individualentities from said needle sampler onto said card doffer wire as saidcircumferential segment of said card doffer wire portion rotates in thefirst direction past said needle sampler.
 2. Apparatus in accordancewith claim 1, wherein said element arranged to selectively engage saidneedle elements along at least a portion of their lengths for lockingloaded entities onto said needle sampler and for permitting subsequentgradual release of individual entities from said needle samplercomprises an elastomer clamping feedroll which moves against said needleelements and subsequently rotates to feed entities from said needleelements.
 3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, which furthercomprises means for removing entities from said card doffer wire. 4.Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, which further comprises acylindrical rotating beater wheel positioned adjacent said drum andhaving projections for engaging and removing entities from said carddoffer wire as said card doffer wire portion rotates in a seconddirection past said cylindrical rotating beater wheel.
 5. Apparatus inaccordance with claim 4, wherein said element arranged to selectivelyengage said needle elements along at least a portion of their lengthsfor clamping loaded entities on said needle sampler and for permittingsubsequent gradual release of individual entities from said needlesampler comprises an elastomer clamping feedroll which moves againstsaid needle elements for locking loaded entities and subsequentlyrotates to feed entities from said needle elements.
 6. Apparatus inaccordance with claim 4, wherein said cylindrical rotating beater wheelcomprises an input element of an instrument for measuring entitycharacteristics in fibrous samples.
 7. Needle-based apparatus forsampling entities included in a mass of fibrous material, said apparatuscomprising:a sample holder including a wall having perforations and asample side against which a mass of fibrous material is pressed suchthat portions of the fibrous material project through said perforations;a needle sampler having a plurality of needle elements and arranged formovement relative to said wall on the other side of said wall so as toload entities from the projecting portions onto said needle sampler; andan element arranged to selectively engage said needle elements along atleast a portion of their lengths for clamping loaded entities onto saidneedle sampler and for permitting subsequent gradual release ofindividual entities from said needle sampler.
 8. Apparatus in accordancewith claim 7, wherein said element arranged to selectively engage saidneedle elements along at least a portion of their lengths for clampingloaded entities onto said needle sampler and for permitting subsequentgradual release of individual entities from said needle samplercomprises an elastomer clamping feedroll which moves against said needleelements and subsequently rotates to gradually feed entities from saidneedle elements.
 9. Apparatus in accordance with claim 7, wherein saidelement arranged to selectively engage said needle elements along atleast a portion of their lengths for clamping loaded entities on saidneedle sampler and for permitting subsequent gradual release ofindividual entities from said needle sampler comprises a clamping blockwhich moves relative to said needle elements against said needleelements for clamping loaded entities, and wherein said needle elementssubsequently retract to gradually release entities.
 10. Apparatus inaccordance with claim 1, wherein said needle elements are flexible. 11.Apparatus in accordance with claim 7, which further comprises acylindrical rotating beater wheel having projections for engagingentities as they are released from said need sampler.
 12. Apparatus inaccordance with claim 11, where in said element arranged to selectivelyengage said needle elements along at least a portion of their lengthsfor clamping loaded entities onto said needle sampler and for permittingsubsequent gradual release of individual entities from said needlesampler comprises an elastomer clamping feedroll which moves againstsaid needle elements for clamping loaded entities and subsequentlyrotates to feed entities from said needle elements onto said rotatingbeater wheel.
 13. Apparatus in accordance with claim 11, wherein saidcylindrical rotating beater wheel comprises an input element of aninstrument for measuring entity characteristics.